Last week Michelle Rodriguez directed some criticism towards the FAST & FURIOUS franchise in regards to its treatment of women, saying that she hopes that "they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one. Or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise." There's no denying that the franchise is fueled by a fair amount of testosterone, but THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS director F. Gary Gray recently spoke with Business Insider and responded to Rodriquez's comment by saying that he believes the female characters in his film were pretty strong.
Here’s the thing, I’m the new guy and I thought with Fate of the Furious as it relates to women, I thought there was a strong representation of women in the movie when you bring on what I thought was one of the strongest antagonists in Charlize Theron. And then you have Helen Mirren, who has a cameo that’s strong… I can’t speak for Michelle, she has a very specific point of view and I can’t take anything away from that, but I would like to think that with The Fate of the Furious specifically, I can’t speak to the other films, I thought the combination of female characters was pretty strong.
As for Vin Diesel, the FAST & FURIOUS star seems to be agree with Michelle Rodriguez as he posted a video of the pair on Instagram this weekend. "Vin, for many years you’ve been the biggest supporter of strong women," Rodriguez said in the video. "I’ve always appreciated that about you throughout the years, and just know that if I ever post anything, that it’s not you I’m talking to." As one of the major producers of the FAST & FURIOUS franchise, if something can be done, Diesel will likely be the one to make it happen.
In a caption, Diesel states that he is "Proud of Our saga… but we must try to reach higher each time. The challenge is what makes it fun and exciting. Its also why this saga has reached the level that it has… you have been the best fans in film history and we are forever grateful… Dom and Letty."
THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS will be released on DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD on July 11th.